


Challenge accepted

by DearDead



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Bubble Bath, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, Declarations Of Love, F/F, Kalex, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:54:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearDead/pseuds/DearDead
Summary: Kara challenges Alex to cook for Christmas at Eliza's this year, even knowing she couldn't cook to save a life, and Alex accepts because she can't refuse a challenge.OrFluff Christmas fic with Alex and Kara sharing cute moments together and Eliza knowing what's up





	Challenge accepted

**Author's Note:**

> Hey !
> 
> SO. My goal was to write a fic for Christmas and post it around the 24th/25th. However, I was out of the country for those days, _but_ that wasn't what caused the delay, noooo.  
> No, what caused it is my inability to write short fics, and what should have been a 3 000 words fic ended in a 10 000 words one.  
> So, sorry I'm late ?
> 
> I do hope you enjoy this one, even if it didn't turn out as I thought it would (like 100% of my fics actually), and feel free to leave a comment about your thoughts !
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and sticking with me as a lousy writer, I appreciate all of the kudos, comments and kind encouragements from you, it really does mean a lot.
> 
> Also, you can throw me things (tomatoes, stones, prompts,...) on my Tumblr : Clarapuce13.

“You can’t,” she challenged with a hidden grin.  
  
“Oh, I definitely can.”  
  
The ride to Midvale was a breath of fresh air, quite literally as they drove in J’onn’s convertible, and they enjoyed every minute of it; the quiet moments when an album came to the end and the loud ones when blasting the music and singing loudly over the music, when they talked and when they drove in a comfortable silence.  
  
They needed that after the year they had, Kara being fired of the DEO and Alex finding her place again without her foster sister there. Alex also took the decision to become a mom, with or without a girlfriend, and even though she wasn’t going to back down it was still a little scary thinking of becoming a mom when working at the DEO and without a partner.  
When talking about it with Kara, the blonde immediately supported her and offered her help as the geeky aunt and Alex happily accepted, her heart soaring when imagining her life with her kid and Kara. It was all she ever needed to be happy.  
  
And now they were on their way to Eliza’s for Christmas on the 24th, having decided to drive instead of flying so they could enjoy the view while doing something as mundane as driving a car to go see their family. Not needing to speed up to avoid death as they did on a daily basis when fighting Aliens was a new way for them to drive, and they relaxed in the old leather seats.  
  
Several layers of clothes, Kara’s natural heat and the car’s heating system were enough to keep Alex warm even when driving past snowy landscapes. Wanting to be sure Alex wouldn’t catch a cold, Kara took an awkward position next to her so they’d be shoulder to shoulder and keep Alex warm.  
  
Kara was trying to get Alex to cook this year, loving the easy way they both moved in the kitchen, but her foster sister wasn’t the best cook in the family. Truthfully, she was maybe the worst. But Kara still wanted them to cook together in their old house for Christmas, the nostalgia hitting her hard during holidays and just wanting to feel close to her.  
  
Knowing Alex never backed down from a challenge, even if it was one she didn’t want to do, Kara tried to get her competitive side to accept to cook this year.  
  
“I bet you’ll just blow the house up, and where will Eliza live ? Do you want your mother to be homeless, Alex ? That’s not very Christmassy,” she shook her head sadly at the thought, already internally smirking because she knew how Alex was going to react.  
  
“I— I’m not going to blow up the house, thank you very much !” she spluttered indignantly, cheeks red when thinking of the many close calls through the years when trying to cook Kara a meal when they moved out from Eliza’s house. “In fact, I bet that can make something better than you can !”  
  
The giddy alien pursed her lips to hide her smile, threatening to take over her whole face in happiness, and she frowned to give herself a serious expression. “You’re on !”  
  
“You’re so gonna regret it.” Alex playfully bumped her shoulder against hers with a grin, Kara’s favorite, and turned to drive up the lane to Eliza’s house.  
  
Alex still hadn’t fully unfastened her seat-belt that Kara was already opening her door with all of their bags and a hand stretched to help her out of the car. Alex chuckled at the attention, wondering how Kara will be able to surpass her usual sweet gestures when she’ll actually be pregnant.  
She thanked her with a smile as she took her hand, and they walked up to the door where an excited Eliza was waiting for them.  
  
“My girls !” Her warm smile spread even more as she took them in her arms, hold tightening slightly before releasing them. “How was the drive ? I hope there wasn’t too much traffic, I know how it can be during holidays,” she rambled as she turned back to let them pass and close the door.  
  
“The drive was fine, Mom,” Alex almost sighed, headache already lurking under the surface.  
  
She felt Kara squeeze her hand in silent support, knowing how Eliza could make Alex feel invisible as she kept talking without waiting for an answer from them.  
  
The house was warm and dimly lit with a few Christmas decorations, the girls knowing Eliza put them up for Kara who loved this holiday, and it was immediately comfortable. It was home.  
It was where the sisters got to know each other and experience their first fights and laughs and embraces. They both felt their shoulders relax, although Alex was still a little tense because of her mother.  
  
“It was a long drive actually,” Kara quickly chimed in. “I think we’re just going to relax a little on the couch or something.”  
  
“Sure,” Alex’s mom smiled warmly, “make yourself at home.” She chuckled to herself and busied herself to make some tea for the sisters.  
  
Kara disappeared to leave the bags in their room and reappeared at her side, taking her hand back in hers. Alex smiled gratefully at Kara when she gently pulled her toward the couch, the weight of her sister against her shoulder once sitting in front of the TV immediately relaxing her. She put her head on Kara’s shoulder and smiled contentedly as her sister put a Christmas movie on low volume, knowing the drive plus her mother would have already drained her.  
  
“Thanks,” she murmured against the blonde’s shoulder, closing her eyes as Kara’s breathing and the sound of the TV slowly caused her eyelids to become heavier by the second.  
  
  
  
She had more or less the same working hours as Kara but the alien needed less sleep than humans so she wasn’t as tired. Working endlessly to find how to stop the anti-aliens movement tired her to her bones and she doubled her hours so she wouldn’t feel Kara’s absence as much.  
She didn’t even notice she was falling asleep until she was woken up by Kara’s movements, slowly slipping away and gently laying her down on the couch without a sound.  
  
  
She fell back asleep for a few minutes until whispers woke her up again blinking tiredly with her face against the couch cushions. She was too tired to move, but when she heard her mother say just above a whisper “Have you told her ?”, she immediately felt more awake, dread washing over her. The way she said it breathlessly suggested surprise and… eagerness ?  
Told her what ? Was Kara hiding something from her ?  
  
“Eliza…” Even whispering, Alex could make out the weariness in her sister’s voice and her heart ached at the thought that something caused Kara to feel this way.  
  
She heard some rustling followed by her mom’s reply. “I won't push, I can only imagine how hard it is. But I think you'd feel better if you told her, and you know her. She won't leave you because of it, Kara.”  
  
The softness in her mother’s voice surprised her. Eliza was usually someone who pushed and used a firm voice to prove a point, hard even on Kara when trying to help.  
  
She heard Kara inhale sharply, followed by a sniff. “I’m not— I can’t—”  
  
She got up and quietly walked to the kitchen even though she knew even she softest sound would alert the blonde, and peeked around the wall separating the kitchen from the living room.  
  
“What are you all whispering about ?” she groggily asked while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
  
Both women’s heads turned her way, looking like deers caught in the headlights, but relaxed when Alex yawned. A soft and warm smile appeared on Kara’s face, Alex’s childlike way to wake up always making her feel all gooey inside, and she shook her head a little while Eliza glanced at the blonde.  
  
“Nothing,” she murmured, still smiling. The softness somehow disappeared to make way to a playful grin instead, but even through her sleepy eyes Alex could detect a hint of another emotion. “We were talking about how Eliza was going to be homeless for Christmas thanks to your cooking skills,” she teased.  
  
The older woman merely raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips when looking back at Alex.  
  
Alex scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, sleepiness and curiosity temporarily forgotten. “I'll have you know I cooked some good meals for you when you moved in with me for a while.”  
  
This feeling, that's all she needed. In her childhood home with her sister and mother, playful and loving.  
  
She could smell the sweet odor of the tea from where she was, leaning lightly on the edge of the kitchen’s wall.  
  
The blonde rolled her eyes and leaned in on her arms on the kitchen counter. “Sure. Putting a bag of pasta in a too small saucepan and letting the side sticking out uncooked isn't cooking, Alex. It's murder.”  
  
Squinting, Alex reached out and took off her shoe to throw it at Kara. The blonde, not having anticipated the attack, took the offensive item right in the face and groaned while rubbing her nose as the shoe fell somewhere with a loud clang.  
  
“I call foul !” She shouted, pointing at a smug Alex with her other hand.  
  
A loud gasp echoed in the room but both sisters were too focused on each other to pay any attention.  
  
“That's what you get for criticizing my cooking,” she said back, already on the move to throw off her other shoe. She couldn't very well stay with only one shoe one now, could she ?  
  
“I wouldn’t call that cooki—”  
  
“Girls, girls !” Eliza was standing between them with her arms outstretched toward the both of them, like she was trying to stop them from lunging at each other.  
  
Kara lowered her hand which was rubbing her face, revealing an angry red mark on her nose (that didn't hurt), and Alex stopped mid throw, arm still in the air with the shoe in her hand.  
They both looked at Eliza, grimacing at the sight.  
  
The mother was drenched in tea, the shoe must have had tipped the teapot over and sent the liquid flying her way, miraculously avoiding Kara and Alex in the process.  
  
“Oh my god, are you okay ?” Kara panicked, her arms flailing around as she looked her foster mother over. “Are you burnt ? Do you need something cold ?”  
  
Eliza reached out and gently grabbed Kara’s hands before she could accidentally make things worse. “It's fine honey, it wasn't too hot.”  
  
They didn't see Alex leave the room but they heard her come back. “Here.” She gave a towel to her mom so she could clean herself up. She smiled gratefully at her daughter and began drying herself, burying her face into the towel. “Sorry,” Alex murmured, looking apologetic with her eyes downcast and a light blush on her cheeks.  
  
Eliza chuckled and shook her head a little, looking at both of the girls. “Don't worry about it, you did way worse when you were younger.”  
  
Alex’s light blush turned into a full bright red one as Kara’s laughter rang out in the small room. “You did ! Remember when you tried to make that thing with—”  
  
“Okay, okay !” Alex shouted while rushing forward to slap both of her hands over Kara’s mouth. “We get it, I'm a human disaster !”  
  
Kara’s cheeks puffed out as she tried to laugh with Alex’s hands blocking air from coming out and she became even redder as her laugh became harder to stop. Eliza only shook her head with an amused smile at her daughters’ antics and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
“I'm going to take a shower, try not to break anything,” she called over her shoulder and walked up the stairs.  
  
Alex huffed as she crossed her arms, releasing Kara’s mouth in the process and allowing her to breathe again. “See how little faith she has in me ?” she complained with a grin.  
  
The blonde could see how happy Alex was despite the rough year they had, coming home to her mother, teasing them and laughing with them. She looked lighter, and she must feel like it too.  
Her pink cheeks and sparky eyes really made Kara happy, seeing her sister this way was always the best way to make her remember why she did everything she did everyday. Why she lived everyday.  
  
“She just sees through your fake seriousness,” Kara teased back while picking up a rag to wipe the mess they made on the floor.  
  
Alex snorted and snatched the rag from Kara’s hands only to toss it on the blonde's head with a slap. “It's not fake,” she countered. “It just depends on the situation.”  
  
Snorting, Kara squinted at her sister. “You think I don't see how you try to keep off that smile off your face at the DEO ?” she accused while pointing at Alex’s grin, almost shoving her finger in her sister’s face.  
  
The brunette scowled while swatting Kara’s hands away. “That's just because you keep making faces to make me laugh !”  
  
Kara’s smile disappeared and she frowned, looking serious all of the sudden and worried Alex for a second. “But debriefings shouldn't be so boring,” she complained with a pout, focusing on wiping the tea off the floor.  
  
Alex blinked once at the explanation and let out a full belly laugh. “They should, that’s kind of their thing !” she retorted, smile wide and still chuckling while Kara kept cleaning up with a pout. Alex shook her head with a small smile and squatted next to Kara to help her. “I'm glad you're there to make them more fun though,” she added conspiratorially.  
  
And it worked, her face lighting up and she smiling broadly with rosy cheeks. “Well, someone has to,” she said while trying to keep a serious expression but failed as her smile stayed firmly in place.  
  
“And it's your duty as National City hero to take this heavy burden on your shoulders. Keeping the DEO fun is no small task, Supergirl,” she teased with a raised eyebrow, happily playing along.  
  
But Kara flushed heavily, quickly averting her eyes and turned her head to hide her blush. She awkwardly cleared her throat while Alex was looking at her curiously and changed the subject. “So, do you want to start cooking ?” she shakily asked, suddenly getting up. She turned her back to Alex to try to get her face to a more neutral color. She could feel Alex’s inquisitive stare from behind her and knew just how to make her forget her questions. For now. “What do you want to burn first ? Cookies ? Turkey ? I'd vote for cookies,” she rambled a little while taking the appropriate kitchen utensils, putting them on the counter with loud clangs.  
  
And it worked as Alex’s focus immediately went on the challenge rather than staying on Kara’s weird behavior. “I don’t burn anything, it's just well cooked,” she defended while crossing her arms again.  
  
“Right, yeah,” Kara absentmindedly replied, still taking out every ustensile she could find to keep her mind on the task at hand. “So ?” she asked while turning around and with two spatula in her hands. “Cookies ?”  
  
“Fine, you're on !”  
  
She held out her hand to shake Kara’s but the blonde only put the other end of the spatula in Alex’s hand with a serious expression, happy her tactic worked and Alex forgot about her odd reaction earlier.  
  
“Let the games… begin !” she shouted in a deep voice.  
  
Fifteen minutes later and Eliza walked down the stairs, body and hair still wrapped in a towel, to shout over the fire alarm. “Girls, what's going on ?!”  
  
She stepped in the kitchen to find Kara wildly running around and using her freeze breath everywhere to put the fire out. The flames seemed to have invaded all of the kitchen if the smoke was any indication, and the older woman could hear muffled voices through the racket.  
  
“Kara, stop ! Can't you see you're—”  
  
“Don't tell me what to do, I told you—”  
  
There was a loud noise followed by a high-pitched scream that could only belong to Kara.  
  
“Oh, come on !” Alex groaned loudly.  
  
“Alex, I'm sorry !”  
  
Eliza heard a gush if wind as she made her way to the kitchen and Alex replying “That's f-fine Kara, nothing’s b-broken.”  
  
“I'm so sorry Alex, so so—”  
  
Eliza stormed in through the smoke to find Kara bent awkwardly over Alex who was almost white with thin ice covering all of her face and body, shivering.  
  
“What's going on ?” she asked in a neutral voice, cutting Kara off during what could have been very long apologies, not knowing if she should be angry or doubled over laughter.  
  
The whole room was filled with smoke and noise, the smell strong and smothering. Alex was coughing loudly while trembling, a dark contrast with the little flames still lit on the stove and some food lightly burning on a plate. Kara was looking at her with wide eyes, lips trembling.  
  
The older blonde sighed heavily, slumping against the wall and tiredly rubbed her forehead. “Even at Christmas ?” she wondered in a whisper though she knew Kara could still hear her.  
  
“Eliza ! I'm so sorry, it's partly my fault—” she began explaining before Alex cut her off.  
  
“P-Partly ?” she stammered as she shivered, scowling hard at her sister.  
  
Kara’s head snapped in her direction with an angry pout. “Yes, I didn't burn the cookies if you—”  
  
“That's cau-cause y-you dis-s-straced me,” she countered, holding her ground.  
  
“Fine,” conceded Kara through gritted teeth. “Cookies were burnt,” she amended but clearly unhappy with this situation, “and I tried to put the fire out and Alex was helping me and her hair caught on fire and I tried to quickly put it out too but accidentally used more freeze than breath and now—”  
  
“You froze my daughter,” Eliza summed up, eyes still closed and pinching the bridge of her nose.  
  
There was a beat of silence and Kara squeaked out a hesitant “Yes ?” at the same time as Alex snapped an angry and determined “Yes.”  
  
“Okay.” She took a breath because she didn't think it was how Christmas was going to go this yearn thinking her daughters grew up enough to avoid something like this. Although she shouldn't be surprised, as much as they got better at being normal adults, there were still slip ups as they turned into teenagers again when coming home. “Kara, clean everything up,” she commanded, knowing the blonde could eat this kind of mess for breakfast with her super-speed, “while Alex take a hot bath.”  
  
She glared at them until they both followed her orders, knowing she was used to such situations because she raised them from a young age.  
Kara worriedly eyed Alex, still shaking on the floor as she was too cold to move, and squatted next to her.  
  
“Need help ?” she offered with a guilty smile, hands halfway to her, hesitant to touch her.  
  
Too cold to keep her pride, Alex shakily nodded without a word, still hugging herself. Kara took her in her arms, frozen solid, and walked slowly up the stairs so the wind wouldn't worsen Alex’s state.  
She kept eyeing Alex every few seconds to check on her, but her sister kept scowling and clenching her teeth, too tense because of the cold to move.  
  
She put Alex on the edge of the tub, rubbing her arms to try and warm her up a little. “Are you okay ?”  
  
Seeing Kara’s worried state through her frozen eyes, Alex resisted snapping again. After all, she did burn those cookies. She nodded weakly, trying to form a small smile for her sake.  
Kara nodded back with a small one of her own and got up.  
  
She reached behind Alex to run the bath with hot water - but not too hot -, hair brushing against the brunette’s cheek, and straightened again to look at her sister.  
  
“I'm going to get you some clothes, don't move.” She winced when she realized she just told a frozen, teeth-clattering, rigid Alex not to move and gave her an apologetic look before draping her in several towels. “I'll be right back,” she promised before leaving and slowly shutting the door behind her so the heat wouldn’t leave the bathroom and rushed to get the bags she left in their room.  
  
She took out a few clothes for Alex, grabbing a soft and warm jacket they always left in the room, and went back into the bathroom.  
Alex still hadn't moved, shaking on the tub, but was letting her fingertips brush the rising hot water in the bath.  
  
“You moved your arms, that's a good sign,” lightly commented Kara as she put Alex’s warm clothes on the stool next to the bathroom sink. “So I'm going to let you…” She flung her arms by her side in an awkward gesture, hesitant. When Alex made no move to, well, move, Kara frowned. “Are you okay by yourself ?”  
  
The blonde could see Alex clench and unclench her jaw before stammering out “No-Nope,” as smoothly as possible, knowing her pride took a hit even harder than when Kara attacked her with her freeze-breath.  
  
“Oh,” Kara breathed out, feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought of what she was going to have to do. “O-Okay, how do you want to… proceed ?” she asked while gesturing at Alex, arms rigid by her side with her fingertips still warming up in the hot water.  
  
The brunette didn't think she cool take more humiliation for Christmas so she tried to relax enough so she could speak. “I d-don’t care, Kara. Just th-throw me into the wa-water once it's ho-hot enough.” Trying to speak without biting her tongue with her teeth clattering was no easy task but she pushed through, tired of being this cold.  
  
“I'm not going to throw you into the water fully clothed,” Kara frowned. “It won't be comfortable !” She was going to keep arguing but she mentally stopped. Not comfortable for whom ? Clearly, Alex would be comfortable clothed while Kara was still there. Plus, the blonde didn’t think she could take seeing Alex in less than how she was clothed right now, a t-shirt and black pants. Sighing, Kara let her wriggling hands fall by her side and resigned herself. “Fine.” For Alex’s pride’s sake, she would put a fully clothed Alex in the water even though the clothes would stick uncomfortably to her skin.  
  
She sit next to a very cold Alex, bringing her arm around her sister to warm her up with her natural heat and waited for the bath to be fully filled.  
She touched the water to feel the temperature and deemed it hot enough to start thawing the brunette.  
  
Ever so carefully, she took her in her arms and slowly bent down to put her in the hot water.  
She could hear Alex’s teeth flatter echoing in the bathroom, feel her trembling through her own body and feel the thin layer of ice around her body slowly melt as she held her close.  
  
Alex let out a trembling sigh as she started feeling the water against her clothed skin, the relief immediate. She shuddered harder when Kara fully immersed her, water up to just under her nose, before relaxing at once.  
  
“Better ?” Kara quietly asked. It wasn't the first time it happened but it was the first time in the middle of winter. And on Christmas day.  
  
Alex nodded a little while saying “Yes” under water, causing bubbles to resurface and pop on top of the water, making Kara giggle prettily.  
  
Happy she could erase Kara’s pout off of face, Alex released more air to create more bubbles, knowing Kara always loved this since she got to Earth.  
  
On Krypton it was considered disrespectful to do so, doing anything else than bathing in silence, so when she got here and Alex first did it in the swimming pool she flushed bright red and stammered illegible words while looking away.  
Once they explained to her it was no big deal here, Alex made her mission to do it as often as possible. She did it in the pool, when she washed her face in the sink, and even while drinking at restaurants with the straw. Seeing Kara giggle uncontrollably was the mission Alex set for herself once she warmed up to her, and she loved this silly action still had the same effect on her sister.  
  
Soon enough, Alex was fully thawed out and Kara was laughing loudly with tears in her eyes and cheeks bright red, clutching at her stomach as the brunette kept making bigger and bigger bubbles.  
When the laughter subsided, Alex challenged Kara to understand what she said under water, but of course the blonde could hear everything clearly. It wasn't as fun as planned, but at least Alex could add this to the list of details concerning her sister’s powers.  
  
Bubbles popped out as Alex tried saying something for the first time underwater, and she emerged to see if Kara had understood.  
  
“Hey, I saved the kitchen from burning to the ground, it's also your fault !” she retorted with furrowed eyebrows but glinted eyes.  
  
Alex grinned and shrugged, slipping her head back in the water for a second. “You kept dancing behind me, it was distracting !”  
  
Kara smirked, secretly pleased Alex could find her distracting. “Your defense is weak, Danvers.”  
  
Pursing her lips to keep the smile she could feel coming at bay, Alex raised an eyebrow. “Your dance moves are weak, Zor-El,” she teased back.  
  
After putting her hand on her heart, Kara let out a oof to go along with her sad expression. “You hurt me, dear sister,” she dramatically said while shaking her head.  
  
“You deserve it,” Alex smirked while playfully sending a few drop of water at Kara’s face, the latter recoiling and blinking.  
  
“Assault !” she accused while pointing at her sister. Alex snorted before feeling a shiver run down her spine and started rubbing her own arms up and down. “Are you cold ?” Kara immediately asked, worried again.  
  
“A little. The water is cold now cause we spent too long playing like children,” she said chuckling.  
  
The blonde smiled and glanced around, noticing the steam that recovered the mirror earlier was gone, meaning the room wasn’t hot anymore. Because of her own body-temperature, Kara didn’t notice it and mentally face-palmed for making Alex feel cold again.  
  
“Oh, sorry ! And you’re still clothed too !” Kara immediately pulled a towel out of the closet and held it out for her sister.  
  
“Thanks.” Alex smiled and got up, careful not to slip in the tub -after everything that happened today, she wouldn’t be surprised-, and wrapped herself up in the fluffy towel. She stood there, fully clothed and towel wrapped around her, with Kara still standing before her, waiting for she didn’t know what. “Um, Kara ?”  
  
Kara hummed in question while distractedly pulling the towel tighter around Alex so it’d cover her more. “Yeah ?”  
  
“Well, I’m gonna change now,” Alex slowly announced, waiting for Kara to take the hint and leave the room.  
  
“Yeah,” she murmured, still lost in Alex’s eyes. They were dark brown, nothing special at first glance, but if she really looked she could see how deep and pretty they were and Kara would lose herself in them.  
  
The brunette raised an eyebrow, curious about her sister’s behavior, and cleared her throat to really get her attention. “Do you mind ?”  
  
“What ?” Kara blinked and snapped back to the present, glancing at Alex’s slightly shivering and clothed body. “Right ! Yeah, sorry ! I was… daydreaming,” she chuckled a little too loudly, feeling her cheeks redden. Again.  
  
Before Alex could question her, she swiftly left the bathroom after having put another towel on top of Alex’s fresh clothes so she could dry herself properly before changing. Surprised, Alex frowned and racked her brain to figure out what was going on with her sister today. Did she have a big  Christmas gift and was afraid of accidentally telling her what it was ?  
She decided it was best waiting after opening the gifts to start worrying it was something more serious, knowing Kara could be this agitated over missing food in her fridge as much as over something really grave.  
  
She quickly changed, grateful her sister left another towel, and exited the room with fresh and dry clothes. Kara was in their room, putting away their clothes in their closet so it wouldn’t be crinkled. She turned around with a smile when she heard Alex enter the bedroom, face devoid of any emotions she felt before fleeing from the bathroom earlier.  
  
“Hey, feeling better ?” Kara fidgeted with a sweater she was holding, still feeling bad for freezing her sister in the middle of winter.  
  
“Yep, all better,” Alex quickly assured her, wriggling in her fluffy jacket Kara prepared for her earlier to show how comfy it was.  
  
The blonde chuckled with a fond smile, the fidgeting stopping and tense shoulders relaxing in relief. “Good. Want to head downstairs ? I believe you still owe me a back of unburnt cookies.”  
  
Alex smiled too, her mood lifted up only by looking at how relaxed her sister was, a rare sight when in National City. “Sure,” she easily agreed, her epic failure already forgotten when looking at the blonde’s smile.  
  
They slowly walked down the stairs, joking in low voices, when a voice stopped them as they headed toward the couch.  
  
“The fire extinguisher was right there.”  
  
Both women whirled around to face a tired looking Eliza, somehow looking dirty without really being so.  
  
“What ?” asked Alex, frowning while looking her mother over and glancing over her shoulder into the kitchen.  
  
“What didn’t you use the fire extinguisher ?” the mother asked, this time looking straight at Kara.  
  
Looking closer, Kara could see that Eliza had burnt marks on her very white bathrobe -which she must have went back upstairs to her room to get- from what she supposed were leftovers of the cookies Alex tried to make earlier, and her still wet hair was tangled, probably from moving around.  
Moving around to clean the entire kitchen by herself apparently, if the scent of soap and the sponge laying on the floor were any indication.  
  
Kara shrank into herself, realizing she forgot Eliza told her to clean up the kitchen while Alex was supposed to take a bath. But she couldn’t have left Alex walk the stairs alone in this state, even less knowing it was her fault.  
  
“Eliza, I’m so sorry !” Kara rushed to apologize, already taking a step forward to help in any way she could.  
  
“That’s okay,” she replied while chuckling, “it happens, days where everything goes wrong.” Both sisters nodded, knowing how it felt especially after a hard day at the DEO. “But it doesn’t mean we have to stop trying,” she mysteriously added while furtively glancing at Kara.  
  
The blonde cleared her throat loudly and took a step back, hoping the not so subtle look Eliza sent her went unnoticed by Alex. “Need help for something ?” she asked, trying to divert everyone’s attention.  
  
The older woman smiled knowingly and nodded. “Sure, just let me shower and we’ll cook together.”  
  
The sisters’ tense shoulders relaxed and they smiled, happy to cook again with Eliza as it’s been so long since they’ve done this all together.  
  
They waited for her while finishing cleaning up and preparing some more tea as they lightly talked about nothing in particular.  
The woman came back, all fresh and clean, and they began cooking dinner as a family, like in the old days. It felt nostalgic and natural, happiness filling the kitchen as they moved to get everything ready.  
  
“Stop it !” chastised Alex while slapping Kara’s hand, already stealing the third cookie Eliza finished a minute ago. “There’s got to be some left for dinner.”  
  
Kara frowned and gulped, swallowing the last bite of the cookie she hadn’t finished when stealing the other one. “It’s the tradition ! You cook, I eat.” Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
Alex took the plate and hid it in the cupboard, all the while glaring at the blonde. “I never agreed to this insane tradition. We wouldn’t eat anything otherwise, you’d just vacuum all of the food !”  
  
“I wouldn’t !” Kara scoffed, glancing at Eliza to get her support, but the latter only looked away with an innocent expression.  
  
“You would too !” affirmed the brunette, shaking her head. “So, keep your hands to yourself and actually help us a little.”  
  
Kara pouted but complied, staying away from eatable food, and helped as much as she could. Which didn’t mean much as she always had trouble cooking, always putting too much force to cut vegetables or going too fast and dropping everything on the floor.  
She stuck to her promise for a while, but as time passed and odors were smelled, she found it more and more difficult not to break it. So she stole a thing here and there, furtively avoiding Alex’s suspicious glances, and happily munched on the delicious food in secret.  
  
Just as she reached to get a tiny _teeny_ bit of turkey, Alex hastily grabbed her wrist and Kara flinched in surprise, dropping the food. “A-HA !” she shouted, startling her mother.  
  
“Alex !” Kara squeaked out, cheeks pink.  
  
Alex pulled Kara close to her by the wrist to look at her in the eyes, squinting. “I told you—”  
  
Because of their closeness, Kara’s pink cheeks became red and she tried to pull away, only to accidentally tug Alex with her in her haste, causing them to lose balance. Alex tried to grip anything to stop their fall but her right hand stayed around Kara’s wrist and her other one grabbed the first thing it touched, meaning the plate. The plate where the turkey was quietly laying on, all well cooked and well seasoned, smelling amazing. Only to crash on the floor with the sisters with a loud clang and a horrified _NO !_ coming from Eliza.  
  
Fortunately (for her), Alex fell on top of Kara, avoiding any injury, and Kara on her back resulting in a new crack on the kitchen floor.  
There was a long beat of silence, Alex already closing her eyes and grimacing ni advance, awaiting for her mother’s fury, while Kara kept staring at the ceiling. Not that she wasn’t used to having Alex pressed against her, but it was usually side by side, not front against front, and she wasn’t sure it was the most appropriate time to be feeling what she was actually feeling.  
  
“Please, just go watch a movie or something,” whispered Eliza, lips pursed as she looked down at them. Alex chanced a glance up to see her mother’s expression, expecting to see disapproval or hidden anger, but she only saw unlimited patience and a hint of tiredness.  
  
The brunette looked down at Kara but the blonde was still staring up, flushed up to the top of her ears, fighting to keep her expression blank. It wouldn’t do for Alex to see her all flustered right now, she wouldn’t understand why.  
  
Before Alex could voice out her question, Kara cleared her throat. “We should—” It came out a little strangled and she coughed again, embarrassed to be affected like this, and in front of Eliza no less. “We should get up.”  
  
Alex frowned but nodded, silently getting up, quickly followed by Kara, still avoiding her eyes. It was odd. Not because Kara was embarrassed, but because she wasn’t already at her fifth apology. Meaning she was embarrassed about something else, and enough to stop her from apologizing from ruining Christmas dinner.  
  
Once up, they both looked down as Eliza glared at them. “Just…” She sighed. “Go shower. I’ll order pizza.”  
  
Frowning, Kara and Alex looked at their clothes to see them ruined by the sauce meant for the turkey, and understood the need to shower and wash away the last proof of their total cooking fails of the day.  
  
“You don’t have to order in, though,” Alex said. “We still have—”  
  
“We don’t,” Eliza almost absentmindedly cut her off.  
  
Thinking her mother was upset after all, her voice grew soft. “I’m sorry. But we still don’t have to order, there’s—”  
  
“Nothing,” the older blonde interrupted her again.  
  
Alex’s frown turned into a scowl as she saw crumbles on the cookie platter, directing it towards a sheepish Kara. “Sorry,” she grimaced.  
  
“Well, what would be a Danvers Christmas without pizza ?” joked Eliza, alluding to a few Christmas spent eating warm pizza in front of the TV when Kara wasn’t trusty enough of Earth food, or when she stole a few too many bites of the dinner, resulting in empty plates. Like right now.  
  
Alex nudged her hard enough to feel it but not enough to hurt herself, a smirk on her face. Kara’s already red face reddened again, and mumbled another apology before storming off the room to probably take her shower.  
  
Staring at the empty space Kara occupied a second earlier for a few more seconds, Alex turned back to Eliza, following her in cleaning up the kitchen. Again.  
  
“Mom ?” she hesitantly asked, glancing again at the empty stairwell, checking Kara was nowhere near. Not that it meant anything, if she wanted to eavesdrop, she easily could. Her mom hummed in question without looking up, calmly picking up the turkey to see if anything was salvageable. It wasn’t. “Do you know what’s up with Kara ?”  
  
She saw her mother’s movements freeze for a second before resuming their previous task, but with a more mechanical feel to it, as if it was forced. And she suspected it was, meaning Eliza knew what was going on and she wasn’t imagining it.  
  
“What do you mean ?” The careful emotionless voice was another hint, another way to lie.  
  
“She’s acting… odd. And she doesn’t seem to want to talk. Not with me,” she added with a surprising bitterness. “It is… Is it because I told her I wanted to be a mom ? Does she not want to help me ?”  
  
She hated how her voice faltered, how scared and sad it sounded as it cracked at the end. The surprised look on her mother’s face instantly relaxed her though.  
  
“What ? Of course not ! She’s so happy to become an aun— She’s really happy you’re going to be a mom.”  
  
The change in course made Alex suspicious. Her mother really seemed surprised at her question, meaning she was wrong, but it was still about her decision.  
She decided to drop it though, her worst fear quelled only to be overwhelmed with others. She wanted to hear it from her sister’s mouth, not a messenger.  
  
“Okay,” she smiled, a fake one but real enough to fool her mother. Kara wouldn’t have been though.  
  
Once they finished cleaning the kitchen for the hundredth time, Eliza turned to her daughter. “Now, go shower while I order pizzas.”  
  
So Alex walked up the stairs, and opened the door to her bedroom to take fresh clothes, again, only to find a half-naked Kryptonian lost in thoughts.  
The blond stood there in her underwear, clenching the dress she wanted to wear against her chest, as she looked into the distance with her hair wet.

Alex’s breath caught. Contrary to what everybody believed, they never saw each other in underwear like this, not even after living together for years and sharing a bedroom. Logically, Alex knew Kara’s body. She knew her measurements, knew what it could do. But she hadn’t _known_. Hadn’t known she could feel the things she was presently feeling, and certainly not for a woman. Certainly not for her sister.  
  
The blonde’s head whirled around when she heard a heart rate spike in the room, too lost in her thoughts to hear her coming, and gasped loudly as she darted backwards until her back hit the wall. “Alex !” she exclaimed, flushed from the neck up, gripping even more tightly her dress against her body like it hid it better that way.  
  
Blinking, Alex realized she was just standing at the threshold without moving, just staring dumbly at her sister without really seeing her. “Sorry,” she automatically said, mentally patting herself on the back because her voice didn’t sound strangled.  
  
They were staring at each other, each at the very end of the same room, and didn’t move until Kara couldn’t take it anymore and looked away. “Do you need something ?” she asked, briefly glancing up to find Alex still staring at her with an unknown look on her face, and looked back down.    
  
Alex blinked again, as if it helped her regain brain activity enough to answer with one word before going back to her induced numbness. “Clothes,” she answered but still didn’t move.  
  
Getting more and more flustered by the second, Kara started to get antsy. “Well, are you gonna get them or just stand there ?” grumbled, immediately regretting it as Alex came back to herself.  
  
Kara’s tone and rare use of contraction brought her back to the present, blinking again rapidly. And before she could stop herself, she decided to use this flustered side of Kara to get her to tell her the truth. So she blindly reached for the doorknob behind her and closed the door without taking her eyes off from Kara’s.  
She saw the blonde gulp and tense, gaze focusing on the now closed door, as if she was trapped with a dangerous enemy.  
  
“Okay,” Alex all but snapped, “what’s going on ?”  
  
Kara’s eyes became wide with fake innocence, mouth slightly agape, but fingers still clenching around the fabric. If Alex didn’t know her any better, she’d think her sister was only embarrassed by her lack of clothes, but she could see how her hands trembled as she resisted to not tear up the dress she was holding.  
Her strength control deficiency came from being stressed a lot, so Alex knew. Knew she wasn’t just embarrassed, she was also troubled.  
  
Shifting her weight from one foot to another, Kara looked everywhere but at Alex, fingers never stilling as she wriggled the fabric between them. “What— What do you mean ?” she stammered, looking so uncomfortable Alex almost dropped it again.  
  
Almost. “You’ve been acting odd since I caught you whispering with Mom,” she accused with a slight whine, sad and angry at the same time at being put aside about something that obviously touched Kara.  
  
For a fraction of second, Alex could see something flash into Kara’s eyes but it was gone as soon as she saw it and wondered if she imagined it. “How much of that did you hear ?”  
  
Alex could hear the panic under the poised tone, the slight stammers of her fingers and light stressed tapping of her foot, betraying her feelings clearly. “Not enough,” she complained, crossing her arms. The frustration was slowly taking over and she worried her defensive nature would cause Kara to put her walls up. But the blonde said nothing, looking ready to bolt but hesitating for some reason, like she was trying to decide if she wanted to hear what Alex had to say. Alex sighed. “I heard nothing,” she admitted, and Kara’s tense shoulders relaxed. A little. “But it’s something you don’t want to tell me.” She paused, looking at Kara. “Is it because I decided to become a mom ? Don’t you want to help me anymore ? ‘Cause it’d be okay, I understand Kara. It’s a lot of work and—”  
  
“It’s not ! I’d be happy to help !” she hastened to promise and looked her in the eyes, not wanting Alex to question the biggest decision of her life. “I do want to be the kid’s— I want to be there for the kid, I swear.”  
  
“Okay.” She blew out a breath, trying to keep her frustration level to a minimum. “What is it then ?”  
  
“Nothing,” Kara mumbled and looked back down, her eyes widening again and she blushed. “Can I get dressed now ?” She actually forgot she was in her underwear in front of Alex. _Alex_.  
  
Alex pursed her lips and almost let Kara get dressed but she knew Kara’s embarrassment would pass and Alex’s questions wouldn’t. So she pushed.  
  
“Is it because I’d be a single mom ?” She clearly saw Kara flinch this time. “Are you worried about it ?”  
  
And Kara looked so small then, so broke open. “I don’t want you to be a single mom,” she whispered so quietly Alex almost missed it.  
  
“Kara…” And before Alex could tell her she had nothing to worry about, that she thought this through and knew what she was doing, mostly, Kara kept talking.  
  
“And I don’t want to be the kid’s aunt.” The quiet admission took Alex aback, obviously not expecting this.  
  
“What ?” Didn’t Kara say she wanted to be there for the kid just a minute ago ? Didn’t her mother ?  
  
“I want to be their mom too.”  
  
Alex frowned because it made no sense. “You also want to be a mom ?” she asked after a moment, a long and charged moment because Kara was looking at her like that and Alex had no idea what it meant. Kara held her gaze and then slowly nodded, like waiting for her reaction, but reaction for what ? “Is that what this is about ? I thought it was about me,” she sighed, relief bleeding from her voice, closing her eyes.  
  
When she opened them again, Kara was still staring at her with this unidentifiable expression. So intense, so focused and hesitant all at once. “It is,” she eventually said, the tremor in her hands gone and foot flat on the ground. She wasn’t fidgeting now, she was determined. Her eyes were serious but Alex could see fear behind it.  
  
“I’m not following.”  
  
And Kara nodded, like she was expecting that. As if she thought about this moment for a long time now. “I want to become a mom. With you.”  
  
And everything was whirling in Alex’s head, her mind providing answers and hiding them behind a veil of uncertainty and fear at the same time. “I— What ?” She knew she sounded a little breathless, but who cared right now ? If Kara was saying what she thought she was saying…  
  
“Alex…” Her voice went from sure to pleading and Kara couldn’t see past Alex’s eyes now, couldn’t see anything other than the answers she was looking for in her gaze.  
  
“What are you saying ?” She was this close to bark her question because she was so confused, so lost, but still held it back. Because Kara’s bravado, the false confidence she put on in her rigid stance, was only tensity from anxiousness.  
  
It felt like an eternity. The silence only lasted a dozen of seconds, but the blonde’s eyes which were saying everything she was afraid of saying out loud were struggling to keep the brunette’s gaze, fighting not to look away. And Alex could see the efforts it took her, the strain obvious in the way she clenched her jaw and held her head a little higher, things she never did in public. Or with Alex, because she didn’t need to. But now she did.  
  
“I’m saying…” Kara’s soft voice almost startled Alex, so lost in her eyes and emotions displayed on her face, even though the blonde thought she was doing a good job of hiding it, that she thought Kara wouldn’t actually answer. That she would let her sister— _foster_ sister look for answers in her eyes. But she didn’t. “I’m saying that I want to raise a child with you, as your partner. Not as an aunt. Not as your sister.”  
  
And the answer she feared and expected took her breath away, emptied her lungs and her head, took away her air and her thoughts.  
As her partner ? That didn’t make sense, because partners were _romantically_ involved with the mother/father, and that wasn’t what Kara wanted. She was still a little off about some of the Human customs, about what words to use and what to think about certain situations. Surely, it was one of those.

“Kara, a partner is…” She slowly tried to explain but Kara was already shaking her head.

“I know.” Her smile was sad, resigned.

Her fingers were now loose around the fabric as she surrendered, her secret now out in the open and the ball in Alex’s court. She knew Alex didn’t feel the same, knew her feelings were inappropriate and unwanted, but how could she pretend anymore ?

Eliza just found out about it when she caught Kara lovingly looking at a sleeping Alex, gently brushing a stray hair behind her ear before slowly planting a soft kiss against her temple. That was obviously not what sisters did with each other and she heard her foster mother inhale sharply at the sight and going to the kitchen where she followed her.

And she still couldn’t believe how accepting Eliza has been, only minutes after finding out her foster daughter was in love with her daughter.  
But for her to push Kara into telling Alex was odd. Surely she knew their relationship was unlike any other and that Kara couldn’t risk it. Even though it happened anyway, and Kara never felt lighter that she did now.  
Even with the dread she could feel inside of her, feel it taking over her mind and insides, and she almost felt sick.

She just wanted Alex to react, to say something, but she knew even a word would be ask a lot out of her. After hearing something like this, how could she react really ?

Without any answer from Alex as she predicted, Kara sighed, defeated, and slowly walked over to her to leave the room. Hand on the doorknob, door half-opened, Kara turned to look over her shoulder but let her eyes fall on the floor. “I’m sorry Alex, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I’m not expecting anything of you, I promise. I just— You wanted to know what was going on and I couldn’t lie to you anymore.” She looked at her foster sister and sighed. “I’ll leave you alone.”  
  
And as she put a foot outside the bedroom, she felt the light yet tight grip which could only belong to Alex, and turned to see her looking at her with wide eyes and eyebrows furrowed, like she was terrified. She was terrified, Kara thought, because of what she said. Because she just shattered their relationship in a million pieces in a matter of seconds.  
But Alex only held on tighter, adding her other hand around Kara’s wrist, and Kara understood then. She was terrified. Terrified she’d leave.  
  
“Don’t leave,” she confirmed Kara’s thoughts in a whisper. “I— I don’t know what I— I can’t really see how I see myself in a few years, or with whom, but…” And she looked like she was bracing herself, knuckles turning white around Kara’s hand as she tried to keep her worst fear and most beautiful hope from running away. “But I know I can’t be without you.” Kara’s heart went overtime then, hope she tried to brutally crush before it bloomed already taking over logic in her mind. “I don’t know how, but I want to be with you.”

And Kara got lost into Alex’s eyes, searching for more but found only doubt and fear, but honesty too. So she slowly nodded, like she couldn’t believe Alex was ready to overlook Kara’s very inappropriate feelings toward her in order to keep her around.  
Even if it wasn’t as much as she hoped to have, it was enough. Knowing Alex wanted her around, around her kid, it was enough.

Seeing her foster sister nod, Alex very slowly loosened her grip around Kara’s arm and took a step forward, joining the blonde in the hallway.  
They were face to face, Kara in her underwear and Alex still dirty from the fall and the food, and they stayed silent for a few minutes. Just processing.

After a long moment, Kara began relaxing too when she truly realized Alex wasn’t running away or screaming at her. When she realized that, even if it wasn’t the same, Alex loved her unconditionally too.

She smiled then, warm and loving smile as she didn’t have to hide anymore, and reached to touch Alex’s cheek like she’s been wanting to do for so long. In a way sisters didn’t.  
She knew she shouldn’t, knew Alex wouldn’t know what to do, but she thought she could be a little selfish for a few seconds and feel how it felt to show her love so openly.

So she slowly raised her hands, gaze stuck on Alex’s, and gently put her palm on the brunette’s cheek whose breath caught at the contact. She gently rubbed her cheekbone a little before putting a strand of hair behind her ear as she did on the couch and began removing her hand, knowing it’d be too much.

But Alex’s fingers circled Kara’s wrist again, this time keeping her hand against her cheek, without ever leaving Kara’s eyes. As if she did it unconsciously, and this time it was Kara’s lungs that became empty at the contact. Each held the other’s gaze, their soft breathing and slow heart beats a surprise considering the situation, and no one moved.

The silence stretched when —

“Oh, my !” was gasped out, the wooden stair cracking under a hesitant step.

Kara resisted immediately removing her hand from Alex’s grasp until the latter let go as to not hurt her fingers in the process. But Alex was quick, slapping the hand that was a second ago gently stroking Kara’s back hand against her thigh in her haste, and Kara dropped hers along her side too, disappointed at having been interrupted.

“Mom—” Alex started, clearly struggling with what to say to her mother having caught them in an intimate moment.

“Sorry, I was just coming to tell you the pizzas arrived.” And she truly looked apologetic, especially the look she gave Kara. “Come down when you’re done, and Kara… Please, go get dressed.”

The small smirk she had showed she didn’t mind one bit, but the teasing was a way to appease the tension. She felt bad for having interrupted them, and hiding behind humor always has been the Danvers way.

Both women flushed bright red, Kara squeaking a high-pitched nonsense and disappearing in the bedroom again, door slamming shut behind her. Mother and daughter just stared at one another, Eliza with an understanding expression that Alex didn’t know what to do with and the brunette with eyes never leaving the floor.  
A couple of seconds later, Kara reemerged from the bedroom with the dress she had in her hands and, too, didn’t look up from the floor.

“Bathroom’s free if you wanna shower, though the water’s cold,” she mumbled to Alex, and quickly walked down the stairs to escape the awkward situation.

Alex just watched her disappear again down the stairs until her words were finally fully processed and she frowned. “Wait, the water’s cold ?” she complained in a shout, even though she knew Kara would hear her even in a whisper.

“We took too many showers today !” Kara shouted the reply from the living room.

Alex rolled her eyes and scoffed. “And whose fault is that ?” she shouted back, scowling. And Alex wanted to beat Kara to her answer, so she added “Yours !” at the same time Kara answered the same thing, causing Eliza to snort loudly.

She put her hand against her mouth with wide eyes, seemingly shocked by her own reaction but couldn’t help smiling. “Sorry,” she sheepishly said, but didn’t look sorry at all. “Okay.” She cleared her throat and tried to keep her composure even if Alex could see her eyes crinkling in mirth. “Go take your shower and come down to eat,” she commanded in a kind voice, her knowing look annoyingly following her until she closed the bathroom door.

Freshly and icily showered, Alex came down after a slight freak out in the bedroom. She was able to compose herself enough so they couldn’t tell she was this close to screaming, screaming her questions and fears, her doubts and hopes because what happened was so big and important. It felt like a screaming type of situation, but she held back. It _was_ Christmas after all.  
She found the two blondes sitting on the couch, deep in a conversation Alex could easily guess was about by the way Kara was a little red-eyed and how her lower lip quivered. And the way Eliza gently rubbed her back told her that her mother supported this, whatever it was, and she couldn’t help but feel more relaxed at the thought for some reason.

Somehow, Kara was taken by surprise a lot today, and when Alex murmured a "Hey" _,_ she was as startled as her very human foster mother.

“Hey,” she whispered back, eyes on hers for a small second before falling back on her hands, fidgeting with some cushion on her lap.

Eliza looked up to see her daughter awkwardly standing between the kitchen and the living room, not sure what to do now. “Come sit,” she patted at the couch next to her, ready to stay between her two daughters. “We were waiting for you.”

Shyly, Alex came sitting next to her mother, eyes fixed on the many pizza boxes piled up on the coffee table. Kara wordlessly took one of them, automatically opening it and ready to heat it up with her laser-vision.

“Not too hot,” warned Alex in a quivery voice, trying to get back to their usual banter but still unsettled.

But how could she be, when Kara was looking at her like that ? With those wide eyes that portrayed her surprise and the warm smile that came after, showing her obvious relief and gratefulness that Alex was at least _trying._  
Trying to be normal without avoiding the issue, trying to keep them close as they were. Trying to still be them, even after the truth bomb Kara dropped on her earlier.

Alex had to look away then, choosing to look a little lower only to see Kara’s dress wrinkled and loose at some places. She frowned for a second, then it clicked. Kara had been really anxious about their conversation, and she saw her grip the dress tightly against her chest, but seeing how thin the fabric was, how it almost tore, really proved how close Kara has been to losing control then. How close she’s been to forgetting about her strength.  
It proved how deeply she cared, even if Alex already knew it. It was still surprising sometimes to see just how much Kara cared, how much she _loved_ her.

So the brunette looked back up, meeting Kara’s eyes and giving her a little nod. A confirmation that, whatever happened from now, they were still them. They were still the duo that took on the world and took out aliens and humans.  
A confirmation that, no matter the form it took, no matter how long it’d take Alex to figure it out, Alex loved her with everything she had and they’d become a family together. Whether as sisters, or mothers.

"I'll be careful," promised Kara with a determined look, expressing her devotion and love in a promise she'd apply to everything.

And they finished the night with stealing shy glances under Eliza's content look, opening gifts and laughing and crying. The Christmas day that seemed going all wrong somehow ended up ending perfectly, full of love and promises.

All through the night, Alex would get this look sometimes that unsettled Kara because it gave her hope, and she didn't want to hope. She wanted to be satisfied that Alex knew and accepted Kara's love, wanted to  _want_ to become the kid's aunt and be happy with it.  
Even if she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the longing in her eyes sometimes, she knew she could get over it. Or as over it an alien that was madly in love with her foster sister for almost a decade could be.

But sometimes, the brunette would look at her and Kara almost thought she could see a new desire in them. Like they were telling her to never be over it.


End file.
